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   2006 >> August  

Message to readers about contents for this month....

  

   A Magazine for Collectors

   
   Photos from "Crown Jewels of the Wire," August 2006
   

CJ In Color!

The following photos are from the August 2006 Crown Jewels of the Wire magazine. These have been provided by the publisher for those wishing to see a color rendition of the black and white photos ...                    [more]



   

INSULATOR OF THE MONTH

   
   

THE BLOB

Denny Hackthorne is the proud owner of this CD 140.5, nicknamed "The Blob". Found along only one particular railroad line, these unusual insulators are among the hobby's most scarcest. Many are of such a dark cobalt color that little light passes through them. This example is exceptionally ...                    [more]



   

AIN'T BLUE PURDY?

   
   

With so many beautiful and scarce blue colored insulators, you might think that Clay Carson and his father, Robert, specialized in them. Actually, while considering what to display at the national, they surprised themselves when they counted how many blue insulators they own. Then they couldn't resist putting ...                    [more]



   

BEST SPECIALTY

   
   

Chris Renaudo's Crown Embossed Brookfield (CREB's) beehives won the NIA's award for best exhibit of a specialty collection. Chris' display also won the Kevin Lawless Memorial Award for the "Best Exhibit Using Eastern Insulators" presented by the Capital Region Bottle & Insulator Club. ...                    [more]



   

THE BIG "E"

   
   

ENTHUSIASM!

Show hosts for the 2006 National presented the Lon C. Holy Memorial Award to Mark & Elaine Corriero.         
                                                                                                                                                 
...                    [more]



   

BEST THREADED DISPLAY

   
   

"CD 104's are not boring", so insists collector Gene Hawkins. He's obviously correct, as his display won the award for best exhibit of threaded glass. His display featured about three dozen different 104's in a good variety of colors.
                                                                                                                      ...                    [more]



   

Rohde Ranch Insulator Roundup

   By Mike Doyle

   

10th Anniversary Celebration 
Fresno, California        April 22nd, 2006

That spring Saturday dawned overcast and threatening rain but it was a day to remember. It was a day that some of us had been planning for two years. It was a ...                    [more]



   

BEST GO-WITH EXHIBIT

   
   

Tom Katonak's display of piano insulators won the award for best exhibit of "go-withs". Less than ten years ago, most of the world's collectors of piano insulators resided in Australia & New Zealand. Thanks to Tom's enthusiasm, the hobby is spreading across America and Europe. Designed to ...                    [more]



   

MEXICAN JEWELS

   
   

Gil Hedges-Blanquez pursues insulators from south of the border. There's no shortage of color or variety in crown jewels from Mexico. Three of Gil's prizes are shown below.

His exhibit included 17 different CD styles and at least 32 different embossings. In other words, virtually every insulator was different even without ...                    [more]



   

BEST COLOR

   
   

AMAZING were the colors of glass in Jim Fielding's prize winning exhibit. He also received the Jim Overstreet Memorial Award for the "best exhibit using threaded CD's." The Canadian signal embossed "1678", shown below, is simply outstanding with its purple swirls. Jim told us his favorite of all is ...                    [more]



   

BEST JUNIOR EXHIBIT

   
   

Clay Bledsoe's research into the use of the device shown below resulted in his winning the NIA's award for the best display by a junior collector. NIA president Kevin Jacobson is shown presenting the award to Clay at the annual banquet.
                                                                                                                                                       

...                    [more]


   

Insulator Happiness - 2006 National Show

   
   

ABOUT THE COVER

Happiness reigns 
on the face of eight year old 
Frances Hirschler 
who just received a gift of a 
purple Diamond pony 
at the 2006 National Show.

...                    [more]


   

BEST GENERAL CATEGORY

   
   

"Honest Ron" sells insulators cheap! Especially used ones. And you know that some have many years of good service left. All makes are available. Why, despite the short production time, "Honest Ron" is happy to announce he has a good stock of the Long Beach California produced insulators. ...                    [more]



   

AUSTIN ACCOLADES

   
   

NATIONAL INSULATOR ASSOCIATION'S 
37th ANNUAL SHOW 
JULY 7-9, 2006 
AUSTIN, TEXAS

Outstanding insulators. Rare specimens. Lots of variety. Excellent exhibits. Large crowds. Brisk sales. Good friends. Great Company. What more could a ...                    [more]



   

ONE WILD RIDE...

   By Bob Machann

   

The 37th National Insulator Association Annual Show & Convention was held at the Doubletree Hotel in Austin, Texas. After battling heavy rains to leave the Houston area, I arrived at the hotel on Wednesday afternoon. Doug Williams, Gil Hedges-Blanquez, Mike Doyle, and Lou Hall were there, too. More collectors ...                    [more]



   

NO TIE REUNION

   
   

Organized by Jason Townsend, a number of collector participated in what may be the largest, to date, reunion of porcelain "no tie" insulators. Perhaps best known are the patent designs of Harloe and Purkey, but other styles were also on display. The concept behind "no ties" is that the design ...                    [more]



   

BEST OF SHOW

   
   

Elton Gish won the People's Choice Award, the NIA award for Best Display of Porcelain Insulators, the Milholland Education Award, and the award for "Best Exhibit Using Power Insulators" with his exhibit of rare pin-type porcelain insulators. Elton is shown below receiving the ...                    [more]



   

Exhibits

   
   

While there is a lot of good natured "ribbing" between collectors or glass and porcelain insulators, Gregory Delia's exhibit was more on the subject of material used in the manufacture of insulators. He displayed examples of insulators and go-withs made of glass, porcelain, rubber and composite ...                    [more]



   

BEST THREADLESS

   
   

Doug Williams received the NIA award for best exhibit of threadless insulators with his display of items made in Canada. Displayed were insulators used by the Montreal Telegraph Company (1847), the Dominion Telegraph Company (1868), the Toronto, Hamilton & Niagara Electric Telegraph Company (1846), ...                    [more]



   

Awards and Attendees

   
   

Todd Berry displayed his collection of transposition insulators at the National. Nicknamed "tramps" by collectors, these insulators were used on telephone lines to transpose the wire position from pole to pole. If telephone wires ran parallel to each other for too great a distance, "cross ...                    [more]



   

BEST LRI's

   
   

Rick Soller won the NIA award for best exhibit of lightning rod equipment.

He displayed various styles of lightning rod insulators and the brackets that were used to attach them to the lightning rod itself.

The purpose of the LRI is to separate (insulate) the lightning rod from the ...                    [more]



   

CHAMBERS FAMILY

   
   

There was a Chambers family reunion on the table top of collector Chuck Haymond. Shown here are just a portion of the examples owned by Chuck. Manufactured by Hemingray, the insulators were used on the rooftops of barns and houses as part of the Chambers Lightning Rod protection system.

...                    [more]


   

Epilogue, Credits, Next Year

   
   

Incoming NIA president Kevin Jacobson (center) congratulates 2006 Show Hosts (left to right) Bob Berry, Carolyn Berry, Jim Bates, and Jack Roach for their hard work and successful efforts.                                                                                                  
...                    [more]



   

BEST EXHIBIT USING PORCELAIN

   
   

Elton Gish (right) presented Jeff Katchko (middle) and Ken WiIIick the Jack Tod Memorial Award for the "Best Exhibit Using Porcelain Insulators" for their research into products made by Fred M. Locke. Their exhibit was entitled "What was in Fred's attic?". The award honors early collector ...                    [more]



   

SHOW TIME!

   
   

Appearing below are a few of the many great insulators in attendance at the 2006 National.
                                                                                                                                ...                    [more]



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